Presidential

Leaders from over 30 African countries are due to attend the opening ceremony of the Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs.

Astrong delegation of businesses from Cameroon and other African countries and China will today begin to discuss ways to facilitate African exports and help African companies integrate into the global value chain, as well as expand China- African trade.

The discussions, the sixth since 2003 and officially known as the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese and African Leaders and Business Representatives, runs from September 3-4 as part of a series of conferences under the on-going 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Over 30 African leaders will attend the meeting. Centring on the theme of "China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future through Win-Win Cooperation," three topics were assigned for discussion, including advancing industrial cooperation for winwin development, deepening trade cooperation for common development, and enhancing infrastructure cooperation for sustainable development.

Participants will harp on the planning, construction, and operation of infrastructure projects and the public-private partnership financing, as more efforts will be made to improve African infrastructure and push forward economic integration. “Industrialisation is the prerequisite and key point for African countries to create jobs, reduce poverty and improve livelihoods, and then achieve inclusive and sustainable development," Jiang Zengwei, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said during a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

He added that Chinese investment will be channelled towards upgrading Africa’s industry and bolster indigenous growth capacity. The conference has been highly valued by African countries, with all parties actively participating, and the number of applicants far exceeding expectations.

There were 2,088 delegates from 53 countries and China, including 1,019 representatives from China and 1,069 representatives from Africa. Representatives of large enterprises in China and Africa, including 67 of the world’s top 500 companies and 111 of Chinas top 500 companies, including some small and medium- sized enterprises are participating in the conference.

Enterprises cover various industries, including not only the leading enterprises of traditional industries such as energy, finance, food, agriculture, manufacturing, medicine, infrastructure, etc., but also outstanding representatives of new economies such as the internet, e-commerce, and sharing economy.